Electric water-heater.



K0. 739,176. BATENTBD SEPT. 15, 1903. W. E- HEAL,

ELECTRIC WATER APPLICATION FILED MAB.;. 1 9 00.

no MODEL.

[XVI/EN TOR:

Patented September 15, 1903.

PATENT OFFIC WILLIAM E. HEAL, OF MARION, INDIANA.

ELECTRIC WATER-HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 739,176, datedSeptember 15, 1903. Application filed March 29, 1900. Serial No. 10,677.(No model.)

T 0 (tZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM E. HEAL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marion, in the county of Grant and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and use-.

ful Improvements in Electric Water-Heaters; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in electricwater-heaters, and is designed for heating from a central power-stationof public or private buildings by hot-water radiation. This isaccomplished not as is usally done by heating the water at a centralstation and distributing same through pipes undergrou nd to thebuildings to be heated, but by generating electricity at the centralstation or stations and distributing the same to the local and separatedpoints over wires carried either by poles overhead or in conduits underthe ground. At the building to be heated the electric current is causedto pass through a suitable resistance by which heat is generated andcaused to raise the temperature of a body of surrounding water, which iscirculated throughout the building by means of suitable pipes andradiators and eventually returned to the heater. This heater consists ofa metallic tank containing the resistance through which the electriccurrent flows and which resistance is surrounded by water to be heatedtherefrom. As the water is heated it rises and passes out through theoutlet of the tank and is replaced by cooler water flowing in at thebottom, thus maintaining a continuous circulatory system.

The object of my invention is to enable the distribution of heat atconsiderable distances from a central station without the lossesincident to the transmission of heated water through pipes.

A further object is to provide a heater for a system of this naturewhich will be adapted to regulate the amount of heat generated by meansof adjusting the amount of resistance introduced in the electriccircuit. This may be done in a number of diiiferent ways; but thepreferred form of device, which is set post in electrical connectionwith the lower end of the carbon cylinder and forming one terminal ofthe device. The upper end of the carbon cylinder is insulated from thetank and is provided with an insulating-cover,

on which is mounted a suitably-operated sprocket-wheel engaging aperforated ribbon of steel or other conducting material, which passesthrough. the carbon cylinder, being mounted on a pulley on thesupporting-plate and having its ends connected to a movable pistonconsisting of a sheet-metal body provided with radial contact-springsadapted to maintain electrical connection between the piston and carboncylinder at alltimes. A second binding-post is in electrical connectionwith the above-mentioned pulley and forms the other terminal of thedevice. carbon cylinder being included in the electric circuit andadapted to have its sliding contact introduce more or less of its bodyto the'action of the current, it is obvious that its resistance to thepassage of said current varies directly in proportion to the distancebetween the bottom of the cylinder and the piston, and the heatdeveloped by the introduction of such resistance will Vary accordingly.So it will be seen that the temperature of the water contained in thesurrounding tank and the pipe system connected therewith may beregulated as desired by adjusting the position of the piston within thecarbon cylinder by means of the sprocket-wheel and ribbon attachment.

With the above and other objects in view my invention further consistsin the novel details of construction and combination of parts to beclearly described in the following specification and fully set forth inthe claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisapplication, Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of myimproved water-heater. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the carboncylinderand attachments taken l The carbon cylinder is.

The i on a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal central sectional view of the piston, and Fig. 4 is a planview of the piston end.

In the drawings, A indicates a cylindrical metallic watertank, which issuitably supported on legs B and provided with the lower inlet-valveconnection G and the upper outlet-valve connection D,whieh lead to andfrom an ordinary hot-water heating system. (Not shown.) A hollow carboncylinder E extends centrally through the tank A and is supported at itslower end by the supporting-plate F, of vulcanized fiber or otherinsulating material, which is secured to the bottom of tank A. The upperend of the carbon cylinder E is insulated from the tank A by means ofthe bushing G, preferably of porcelain, and is provided with the cap H,of vulcanized fiber or otherinsulating material, which is secured to thetop of the tank A. A pair of standards I I are mounted on the cap II andhave journaled therein a sprocket-wheel J, on the shaft of which ismounted a hand-wheel K, and a similar pair of standards L L depend fromthe supporting-plate F and have mounted therebetween the idle pulley M.A metallic ribbon N, preferably of spring-steel, is provided with aseries of perforations forengaging with the teeth of the sprocket-wheelJ and extends through openings in the cap H and supporting-plate F,where it is mounted on the pulley M and has its two ends connected to apiston 0, consisting of a sheet-metal cylinder with a contracted centralportion forming a spoolshape structure with its central part hexagonalin cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3. Oval contact-springs are rivetedor otherwise secured to the flat surfaces of the central portion of thepiston and are adapted to bear with a spring-pressure on the innersurface of the carbon cylinder, and thus maintain electrical connectionbetween said cylinder and the piston at all times. The ends of theribbon N are connected to the centers of the piston ends to prevent atilting of the piston, and the continuous portion of the ribbon,extending from the sprocket-wheel to the idle pulley, passes throughsuitable openings Q in the ends of the piston, through which it is freeto slide.

A binding-post R depends from the supporting-plateF and is in electricalconnection with the lower end of the carbon cylinder E, forming oneterminal of the device, while a binding-post S is formed in connectionwith one of the standards L and forms the other terminal of the device.The current enters by the binding-post S, passes through the pulley Mand ribbon N to the piston O, whence it is conveyed by thecontactsprings P to the carbon cylinder E and is caused to traverse asmuch of said carbon cylinder as lies between the piston and the bottomof the tank, where the current passes out through binding-posts R. Theheat generated by the passage of the electric current through theresistance of the carbon cylinder is imparted to the surrounding waterin the tank A, which then rises and fiows out through the outlet D,being replaced by an inflow of returned cool water through inlet 0. Theamount of heat being generated may be increased or decreased by raisingor lowering the piston by means of the hand-wheel K, and thus the deviceis subject to regulation which is entirely under control of theoperator.

It is obvious that many changes and alterations may be made in the exactdetails of construction and arrangement of parts set forth hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and,further, that the heater herein described is not limited to the specificuse stated, but is capable of many other purposes, such as anindependent heatradiator without a water-circulating system or any otherof numerous devices employing a self-contained heating means.

Having fullydescribed myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is 1. In a device of the character described,a cylinder of poor conducting material, a connector therefor, a pistonwith radial spring pressed contact devices slidable within the cylinderand adjustable with relation to the connector, and a tank surroundingthe cylinder, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, a cylinder of poor conductingmaterial, a connector therefor, a slidable contact device located withinthe cylinder, a conducting-ribbon extending through the cylinder andconnected to the contact device, means for moving the ribbon, and a tanksurrounding the cylinder, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, a carbon cylinder, asupporting-plate of insulating material covering the lower end thereof,a connector on the supporting-plate in electrical connection with thecylinder, a tank surrounding the cylinder and secured to thesupporting-plate, means for insulating the upper end of the cylinderfrom the tank, a cap of insulating material covering the upper end ofthe cylinder, a sheet-metal piston, radial contact-springs connectedthereto and bearing on the inner walls of the cylinder, standardsmounted on the cap and supporting-plate respectively, a pulley journaledin the standards of the supporting-plate, a handoperated sprocket wheelmounted in the standards of the cap, a ribbon of conducting materialconnected to the piston and passing around the pulley and sprocket-wheeland provided with perforations for engaging the teeth of thesprocket-wheel, and a connector in electrical connection with thepulley, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. HEAL.

\rVitnesses:

WILLIAM H. CARROLL, GRIFFITH D. DEAN.

